FOLLOWING recommendations from another interested land investor, William Sare, Jorgan ‘John’ Peterson, Robert Fuller, George Shepherd and William Wingfield teamed up to apply for their conditional purchase of land.

The four of them travelled together to Kempsey to arrange their conditional purchases on 3 February 1881, the government gazette recording them according to the order in which they applied. First in line at the Kempsey Land Office, Peterson requested portion 6, comprising 120 acres located on the northern side of Coffs Creek, opposite James Marles.

Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, Jorgan emigrated to Sydney in 1872 aged 25 years, his occupation being a tailor.

He arrived in Grafton a few years later, marrying Louisa ‘Rosie’ Kleindeinst in 1877, establishing himself as a ‘Tailor and Clothier’ in Prince Street, Grafton and becoming a naturalised Australian.

After their 7-week-old daughter passed away in 1879, they had another daughter the following year before closing their Grafton business and moving to Coffs Harbour.

They established an accommodation house, growing ‘vines’ and numerous fruit trees.

The couple then had twin boys, though lost one before having their second twins (a boy and girl) followed by another two children.

Jorgan also became the local agent for Davey and Co.’s ‘Patent Tree and Stump Extractor’ and attended a number of meetings to establish a local mail service and school.

On one unforgettable occasion in July 1885, a bag was found out the front of their hotel containing the lower half of a man’s leg, still wearing a boot!

That, however, is another story.

In June 1887 he attended one of the largest meetings in the area to help form the Coffs Harbour Progress Association, accepting the position of vice president and signing a petition to the government to have the jetty constructed.

By October of that year and with no sign of government action on the jetty, Jorgan’s patience had run out and he and his family returned to Grafton, re-establishing his original business as a tailor.

 

By Karen FILEWOOD